Sunday, March 16, 2008

I <3 HTML

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life. ~Henry L. Doherty

I am truly, madly, deeply in love with my HTML book (the one I talked about yesterday). I even read the introduction because it was so amusing... and, on the first page I learned something: HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. I never knew that. I'm going to take it a chapter or so a day to make sure it really soaks in... and then, watch out world! I'm going to recreate my personal webpage in straight HTML. And THEN, when I get that down, I'm going to attack the LASR site. I admit that's a little scary, but that's the whole reason I got the book -- to be able to build websites in HTML/XHTML/CSS instead of FrontPage which Microsoft no longer sells or supports.

And, I've probably bored you to tears. I'll try not to gush too much as the days progress. But, seriously, I'm excited.

Does that make me a geek?

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I tried... I really tried to write on my mystery, but only got about fifteen words before I wanted to scream. So, I stopped.

Then, I pulled out a completed manuscript I have that needs a bit of rewriting... a novel entitled "Playing House", the novel that started this writing journey for me. I find myself returning to it again and again. And, I think I've finally figured out a believeable way for Tish to work for Derek that won't require a complete overhaul of the manuscript. This is also one that would work (I hope!) for Samhain, as it's in the same not-quite-serious vein, like "One Love For Liv" is.

Honestly, I really want to get something submitted, so editing this story may be the right choice for me right now while I mull over what's bothering me about my mystery (because I don't really know WHAT is bothering me, just that I can't seem to move forward with it the way it is, even though I have the entire rest of the book plotted out. For whatever reason, this scene isn't working for me, but I can't just cut it because then the rest of the plot crumbles. Oh the joy).

Dru asked me, in comments yesterday, if I find it difficult to write when I haven't written the day before. In a word? YES.

It's terribly easy to get out of the habit of writing, and when I do, it's terrifically HARD to get back in. I like to write everyday, even when I don't feel like it. I can usually find something to work on, even if one particular WIP doesn't call to me. I always have half a dozen irons in the fire, and this little quirk of mine is one of the reasons I do work on so many things at a time.

I recently read an interview with an author who said that when she didn't feel like writing, she didn't. The boggled my mind. I'd have to say that more than 50% of the time, I don't feel like writing. But I do it anyway, and usually once I start I get into the groove and feel like writing! If I only wrote when I felt like it, I'd never get anything done.

OTOH, I read an interview with Nora Roberts where she said that she didn't believe in writers block...that when she had trouble writing (or didn't "feel" like it) she just pushed on through. It was she who said something that stuck with me--you can't edit a blank page.

Some authors will say, if you write when you don't "feel" like it, your writing will reflect that by being stilted or awkward. I can edit stilted and awkward. I can't edit nothing. My goal is to write regularly... and I prefer to write every day. It may not work for everyone, but it seems to work for me. The more I write, the MORE I write. Yanno?

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From Judy:

You Are a Total Brainiac

You're amazingly brilliant. Some would even say genius.

You're curious, thoughtful, analytical, and confident.

You take on difficult subjects because you want to... not because you have to.

We're waiting for our Front Page book. Maybe then I can get going on my site. It's still skeletal.

I need to edit and I really haven't. I'm envious of those who can write daily. Weekends are generally a loss for me, too many distractions. And I find it very difficult to edit/write steamy scenes with kids and DH around.

Sorry to hear you are having difficulty with that scene. Stepping away may be the best thing right now. I like the remark about not being able to edit a blank page. How true!As a small quiz to test MY geek, I asked him if he knew what HTML stood for and funny enough, he did! *G* Have fun with it, it's easier to learn that way.

According to the quiz, I'm a Total Braniac. Hmm, I wouldn't go that far, but I'm definitely curious about almost everything. *g*